Egg cutting device



Sept. 26, 1950 G. F. HoDsQN Erm.

EGG-CUTTING DEVICE Fild sept. 4. 1945 o ooo oo @ma/ MMG Patented Sept. 26, 1950 EGG CUTTING DEVICE George F. Hodson, Altus, Okla., and Lyman L. Campbell, Riverdale, Ill., assignors to Wilson & Company, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application September 4, 1945, Serial No. 614,304

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to an egg cutting device and more particularly to a device adapted for use in an egg breaking machine for cutting the membrane of an egg. s

The invention is especially designed for the egg breaking machine illustrated in the co-pending application of George F. Hodson, Serial No. 534,552, filed May 8, 1944, Patent No. 2,443,188, June 15, 1948, but is usable in other machines and systems. f

An object of the invention is to provide 'adevice for cutting the membrane of an egg without puncturing the yolk thereof.

Another object is to provide a device in which each knife blade is automatically cleaned and sterilized after each use, to avoid contaminating the contents of good eggs'by mixing therewith a The cutting Vmechanism consists of a very sharp-pointed blade 9| directed at an angle of approximately 45 to the horizontal Vand adapted to cut completely through the membrane. The

.specific gravity will not be contacted by the portion of the contents of a bad egg. It requires In the embodiment of the invention shown in Y the drawings, I0 represents one of the two side frame members of an egg breaking machine, each of which is supported by two pairs of upright frame members I I and I la, only one of each pair being shown in the drawings. An endless chain 32 is carried on each frame member I0 and is driven by a sprocket wheel I2 on shaft 99 journaled in bearing I3 mounted on studs I4 attached to a member I I attached to a frame member I0, as by brackets. The shaft 99 is driven by any suitable source of power (not shown) Mounted in pairs on, and extending between, these chains 32 are a plurality of oppositely facing, rotatable vacuum cups 30, which are more v fully described in our copending application,

Serial No. 604,326, led July 11, 1945, and between each pair is held an egg E, the shell of and thereby exposing the membrane for cutting.

is also shown and described in our above mentioned co-pending application.

knife.

The blade is carried in a clamping device 92 which in turn is carried by a link chain 93 which is guided within the housing 94 which contains sprocket wheels 94a and 94h for the chain and which is suspended from the shaft 95. The chain 93 after passing through the housing 94 is carried upwardly over the wheel 96 through the Y bath 98, under the wheel 9a, over the wheel 98h,

and under the wheel 98e, and then through the bath 91 of chlorinated water. The chain then passes over wheels 91a and 91h and downwardly "to the wheel 94a in the housing 94. The chain is driven from the shaft 99.

The baths 91 and 99 are suspended from a pair of cross bars I5, each of which is attached to and extends between two of the oppositely disposed uprights I I and Ila. These cross bars are also provided with journals for the shafts of the wheels 96, 91a, 91h, 9a and 98h, the shaft for the wheel 97h also extending through a slot IB in the members I5 so as to provide for adjustment of the chain 93.

While being cut, the egg is in contact and rides on rubber guides 80 suitably mounted below the cups 30. This contact with the guides 80 causes the eggs E and cups 30 to rotate in a clockwise direction and, therefore, the egg membrane rises against the downwardly directed point of the knife 9| (see Fig. 3).

vcomplete revolution and hence have its membrane entirely cut. The knife will then be cleaned and sterilized before it is used again.

lWhile we lhave shown and described certain embodiments of our invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and ar 3 rangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An egg cutting device for an egg breaking machine comprising a plurality of rotatable egg carrying means mounted on the machine for movement in a substantially linear path, a `plurality of cutting means mounted on an endless ilexible member moving in synchronism with the carrying means, means for holding a cutting means against a portion of an egg in a'carrying A means, and means for rotating the egg with'the cutting means held against the egg to cause the cutting means to cut the egg. 2. The egg cutting device of claim-l said egg is rotated at least 360 :to cause thejcutting means to cut completely around the egg.

3. The egg cutting device of claim 1 in which Said cutting means is held against the egg at a in which Which said endless member is led through each of said baths successively to clean and then to sterilize the cutting means after each use.

7. In an egg breaking machine, an egg cutting device for cutting the membrane of an egg after the equatorial portion of the shell has been scored comprising, a plurality of rotatable egg carrying means mounted on theV machine for movement in a linear path, a plurality vof cutting blades mounted on an endless flexible member moving in synchronism with the carrying means,

a-lcleaning bath-and a sterilizing bath andin each of said cutting blades being sequentially positioned to pierce the membrane of an egg, and

--means'for rotatingl the egg to cause the cutting bladflevtofsever the membrane.

GEORGE F. HODSON. LYMAN L. CAMPBELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references rareof record in the file of this patent: f

Y Y UNITED .STATES PATENTS Number Name Date `1,407,524 Fourchy .Feb. 21, 1922 1,474,717 Holler Nov. 20, 1923 1,795,118 `I-Iall Mar.l3,l931 1,916,596 YWi'.nfree,Jr .JulyJL 1933 2,018,044 Weiss Oct. 22,1935 2,173,278 Kozelka et al Sept. .19, 1939 2,443,188 VHodsonv .June 15, V1948 

